Now Available to Own: How to Train Your Dragon 2, Batman, Assassin’s Creed Unity, and More

Prepare your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of November 11, 2014. Each week we run down new releases in movies, television series, and video games that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home. On shelves this week, you can find titles such as How to Train Your Dragon 2, Batman: The Complete Series, Jersey Boys, Assassin’s Creed Unity, LEGO Batman 3, and more. Check out the complete list of new releases after the jump.

I’d be as bold to say that this sequel is one of the best there is. Many franchises fail to expand and create new ideas for their characters to face and How to Train Your Dragon 2 is incredibly well done. It isn’t without its flaws, but it is absolutely one of the best animated features in quite some time. Not only does it grow our characters further it also takes the series into a really unique direction. The massive amount of special features included are:

Tammy (Ben Falcone) Rated R [96 min] – After losing her job and learning that her husband has been unfaithful, a woman hits the road with her profane, hard-drinking grandmother. Starring Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, and Kathy Bates

If you’ve you seen the trailer, it will give you enough reason to run away from this movie as fast as possible. If you’re sick and tired of McCarthy playing the big oaf that makes a fool of herself than you’d be wise to avoid Tammy like the plague. Sure McCarthy has decent delivery and knows how to time her comedy well, but the story and direction are just too flimsy to consider this film worthwhile. Special features included are:

Tammy’s Road Trip Checklist

Gag Reel

Deleted Scenes

Fun Extras

Jersey Boys (Clint Eastwood) Rated R [134 min] – The story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s rock group The Four Seasons. Starring John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda, and Vincent Piazza

Clint Eastwood’s exploration into musicals is a valiant effort on his part, but his gruff persona seeps in, creating a rather bland story to an otherwise interesting tale. I’ve never seen Jersey Boys live, but I’m sure it has a lot more personality than depicted here. The craftsmanship for the film is top notch. It’s very cinematic, clean, and the performances are all there, but there is little fun or enjoyment to be had with this adaptation. Special features included are:

From Broadway To The Big Screen Featurette

Too Good To Be True Featurette

“Oh, What A Night” To Remember

Let’s Be Cops (Luke Greenfield) Rated R [104 min] – Two struggling pals dress as police officers for a costume party and become neighborhood sensations. But when these newly-minted “heroes” get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line. Starring Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., and Rob Riggle

For what little humor amassed in Let’s Be Cops, the generic stupidity of the story and its characters deflate any chance for it to be anything short of mildly entertaining. Most of the jokes are eye rolling and you can see the stereotypical buddy cop tropes from a mile away. I do praise the concept and the chemistry between Johnson and Wayans Jr., but this film has really nothing going for it. Special features included are:

UHF (Jay Levey) Rated PG-13 [97 min] – A local public station gets a new owner. The station becomes a hit, with all sorts of hilarious sight gags and wacky humor. Starring ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin McCarthy

Weird Al is at a unique point in his career where he’s finally gaining the recognition her deserves, and UHF is something everyone must witness. It’s not great, but it has so many oddball moments that just sum up his goofball antics that make the film charming and hilarious. Special features included are:

Retrospective Panel From San Diego Comic-Con 2014

Audio Commentary

Deleted Scenes

Behind-the-Scenes Footage

Music Video

Production Stills

Promotional Materials

Reversible Cover Art

Nocturna (Adrià García and Víctor Maldonado) Unrated [88 min] – An orphan boy named Tim is afraid of the dark. However when the stars start going out in the sky he finds himself exploring the world of the night his new friend, the cat Shepard, to find out why. Starring Imanol Arias, Joe Lewis, and Molly Malcolm

A very cute and dazzling animated tale of a boy and his cat. There is a special tone that Nocturna creates that really captures the magic of the medium. The story really is very engaging and audiences who check this out are sure to have a lot of fun. Special features included are:

This is the story that the film Upside Down with Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst should have been out. Definitely a nu-anime style, Patema Inverted is very well animated and has a lot of wonderful moments that leave you in awe. But unfortunately the characters, particularly the villain, are very flat and uninteresting. However the world that this movie creates is very intriguing, but sadly not as explored to its fullest as I would have liked to have seen. Special features included are:

In English with Bonus Japanese Audio Track and English Subtitles

Audio Commentary with Producer and Voice Cast

Interview with Director Yasuhiro Yoshiura

Interviews with Original Japanese Voice Cast

At the Premiere with Director and Cast

Trailers

Welcome to the Space Show (Kôji Masunari and Masaaki Yuasa) Unrated [136 min] – With an intergalactic cast of thousands, Koji Masunari’s colorfully explosive feature revolves around five elementary school kids sent on an unexpected trip to space. While looking for their missing class pet, the children find and rescue a dog that turns out to be an alien, and he invites them to visit the moon as a reward for helping him. However, through a series of strange events, they become stranded and must make their way across the galaxy to get to his home world and then return to Earth. Starring Tomoyo Kurosawa, Honoka Ikezuki, and Takuto Yoshinaga

Stretching a little too long for its own good, Welcome to the Space Show exhibits a lot of great ideas with colorful animation. I like the characters and all of the hijinks they get in. The movie is a little uneven at certain points that detract from the narrative, especially with all of the ideas it is trying to get out. Special features included are: